Mission First
by Elenya2
Summary: Separated from her unit, SSG Elly Masterson has no choice but to throw her lot in with a bunch of survivors she met along a highway the night Atlanta burned. Now she's trying to keep her promise to keep everyone safe despite an old thorn in her side. And what is she supposed to do against those damn blue eyes? Slow burn, eventual Daryl/OC.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hi there! I've taken a few years/ maybe a decade or so off of writing. Got the bug again so we'll see how this goes. I have my story plotted out pretty far. Just have to start laying down the words one at a time and soon I hope to have a kick ass story! I have put some explanations I thought necessary at the bottom so I didn't interrupt the flow of the story.

By the way, I hope it's clear which characters are mine. AMC, etc. has all the good ones!

Enjoy.

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The world had changed, suddenly and with no warning. For weeks there were obscure news articles that no one really paid attention to. It was written off as a side effect of the latest designer drug. No one thought that it was real. Not until hospitals and police stations started getting overrun with the shambling and relentless dead. Then people started to believe.

Elly got the call early; she had already started packing leading up to her last day of class at CENTCOM in MacDill AFB. She was a SSG in the Army and had been sent to a specialty course at a different base. She was getting pulled and had to report back to her unit. ASAP. That was very unusual, her course was very hard to get into and was given priority within the unit.

Chaos within the base was reaching a fever pitch. Patrols were out in force; which Elly had never seen stateside. Barricades were placed, extra supplies were unloaded, and the aircraft never stopped circling. The base was locked down to all incoming personnel and all non-essential and civilian personnel were being sent home. Elly tried to get a lift back to her own base on Space A, but all the outgoing flights were restricted. Catching sight of her instructor on her way back to her lodgings, Elly stopped to let MSG Peeples that she was being recalled.

"Master Sergeant, I've been ordered back to Bragg." The NCO stopped and looked at her, not surprised in least since the Threat Condition had been upped to Alpha.

"Do you still have your weapons?"

"Huah, Master Sergeant." Elly replied in the affirmative. They were secured with the rest of her gear in her lodgings.

Her instructor nodded and started walking. "Come with me." He led her to one of the new checkpoints set up nearby. He ordered them to hand over a combat load of 5.56 rounds, as well as 9mm magazines. "Here, take these. This isn't going to be over quickly, get to your unit as fast as you can but be ready for anything out there." Elly quickly stuffed the magazines into the pockets of her uniform. She also shouldered the box of MRE's he handed to her. She clanked when she walked now but the nervous fluttering in her stomach increased tenfold.

Elly wasn't afraid to say it: she was scared out of her mind. She didn't want to leave the safety of the base if the rumors were true, but she had no choice. She had orders. So Elly packed her gear into her old pickup and got out of the city. She had spent her formative years near MacDill so once she left Hillsborough County behind her, she took the backroads out of the state.

Unfortunately, her knowledge didn't extend to Georgia, which is how she ended up stuck in a traffic jam outside of Atlanta while the sun sank lower in the sky. Elly sighed as she flipped through radio channels that were no longer broadcasting. She flicked off the radio and stared out the window; before long the highway was buzzed by five Black Hawks heading towards Atlanta. Elly stepped outside her truck, joining the growing crowd in the road. They all watched in horror as the bombs were dropped.

Well that was it. If the government was so desperate as to attack a civilian population, they were in the deepest of shit. Elly didn't think she would make it back to Ft. Bragg. The roads were clogged and the world looked like it was going to hell in a handbasket.

After the fires in distance died down, a small group around Elly began talking about finding a safe place for the night. Someone suggested an old quarry not too far away. The rag tag group pulled away and managed not to attract too much attention in the dark. It was well past midnight when they pulled into the relative safety of the abandoned quarry. A few groups put up tents but Elly decided to stretch out in her truck. It was only mildly uncomfortable for her 5'5" frame. The blanket she pulled out of the back held off the slight chill of the Georgia summer night.

Dawn came slowly, bringing with it a realization that there was no going back to their own lives. Everything had changed and they had to get used to this new world really quick. Elly yawned and stretched as much as she could in the cramped cab. She pulled out her toothbrush and a canteen cup, going about her morning as she had for countless days spent on field exercises. By the time she had finished, other people in the camp had begun to wake up and go about their day.

A petite brunette and a little boy no more than twelve stepped out of the tent closest to her.

"Morning." Elly called out as she put away her things in the front seat of her truck, careful to cover her M4 before they could see it.

The brunette nodded with a ghost of a smile on her face. "Good Morning, I'm Lori. Lori Grimes." She replied, "This is my son Carl."

Elly smiled back and shook both of their hands. Carl grinned up at her as she shook his. "Hi, I'm Elly Masterson. Nice to meet you."

"Are you in the Army?" Carl asked her. Elly realized that though she didn't put her blouse back on, she still had her camo pants, shirt, and boots on. It was a little obvious how she made her living.

She nodded. "Yes I am. I'm supposed to be getting back to my base. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to do that now." Stuck alone and without any hope of guidance from her superiors, Elly had to decide what to do. Part of her strongly felt the need to be where she was supposed to, to follow her orders and to be shoulder to shoulder with her battle buddies. Part of her wanted to never reach Ft. Bragg; she was terrified of what she might find there.

"You should stick around and let things settle down first." Lori said, "It's not safe to go anywhere just yet."

Elly reluctantly agreed. "I'm worried about my squad. But they have good NCO's to look after them for now."

Lori smiled, "Glad to hear it." They continued on, probably to find a place to relieve themselves. Carl had started hopping from foot to foot and his face had gotten red when Lori excused them.

Elly pulled out a granola bar for breakfast wishing to god that she still had some coffee left. She stuffed the bar in her mouth and started pulling bags out of the back of her truck. After changing into civvies, she got to work setting up a lean to by the side of her truck. As she bent over her bag to locate her woobie, she heard footsteps approach.

"Whoo weee! Look at that ass baby brother. Didn't think we'd see something so fine when the world went ta shit." Elly sighed, wishing to hell that she hadn't recognized that voice. Unfortunately, there was no mistaking that crude redneck accent even after all these years. She slowly stood up and turned around, dreading what she would see. 'Shit!' Elly thought as Dixon's eyes widened in recognition. The racist bastard was pretty much as she remembered him, scruff and all despite army regulations. Next to him stood a smaller man with the same blue eyes and smirk on his face. "Well, well, well. If it ain't Private Bitch herself!" Dixon drawled as he tried to tower over her, expecting her to back away.

Instead Elly crossed her arms and straightened her spine, glowering right back. Not giving an inch. "That's Staff Sergeant Bitch to you Specialist Moron. Oh! I'm sorry, Dishonorably Discharged Specialist Moron." Dixon's face got an interesting shade of red. By now a number of their fellow survivors had started to watch the exchange. A few had already experienced a run in with the older Dixon and were watching apprehensively. Dixon's companion put a restraining arm on his shoulder.

"You best watch your words girlie." The redneck warned, shaking off the hand attempting to pull him back. "You ain't got them Ranger pussy's watching your back no more."

Elly didn't rise to the bait but stood her ground. "That's the thing Dixon," She replied. "I never needed their help to deal with the likes of you." Dixon clenched his jaw and tried to get in her face, almost pulling a hand back.

"Hey!" A dark haired man in a Sherriff's t-shirt shouted as he swaggered up to them. "We got a problem here?" He demanded as he pushed Dixon back. He sauntered backwards with his hands up, finally letting the other man pull him back.

"No problem officer. Just getting reacquainted with an old battle buddy."

Elly snorted, "Buddy my ass."

"Don't think we're done here." Dixon growled as he was pushed away, towards what she could only assume was the direction of his tent.

As soon as they were out of earshot she groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose, 'Why, of all the people to survive the apocalypse, did she have to run into Dixon.'

"What was that?" The man in the Sherriff shirt asked her, the menace gone from his voice. "Merle Dixon would squash you like a bug."

Elly smirked. "You'd be surprised." Before he could ask any more questions Lori walked up and started the introductions. Apparently this guy Shane was her dead husbands partner. The crowd took the opportunity to meet everyone else as well. Elly tried to remember all the names but she knew it would take a while to remember everybody.

"You better watch it with those two Elly." Shane warned. "Those Dixon brothers are bad news. How do you know 'em?" He asked while giving her an appraising look. Elly thought that his gaze lingered a little too long on her chest.

She sighed, knowing it was better to get her side of the story out before Dixon could. "I only knew the bigger guy. Didn't even know his first name. You know how it is in the Army." Shane nodded. "Well, I had a few run ins with him on my first deployment. He didn't like the word no as I recall. Started a big incident when he got tired of being turned down and accused me of sleeping with my entire security detail." The other man smirked.

"Yeah that sounds just about his speed. Don't let him bother you. If you need anything, anything at all just come find me. It's no trouble." Elly took a second to notice that Shane was trying to flirt with her. He was leaning forward, his hand on his hip as he tried to emphasize the protector role. She really tried not to snicker. It was cute in a bit of a pathetic way.

"Yeah, I'll do that." She replied, just barely keeping a straight face. Something told her he would not do well with being laughed at. "Desperate much?" She muttered once Shane swaggered away. Elly heard a laugh behind her. Turning she saw an older man, Dale, in a bucket hat with a big grin on his face.

"Well it is the end of the world. I think he's looking to repopulate the planet single handedly. You're the fourth woman I've seen him flirt with this morning…no offense!" He said holding up his arms, still smiling good naturedly.

Elly couldn't help but laugh. "None taken, can't say I'm surprised though. I used to know a lot of guys like that. I've gotten used to dealing with them."

"Well, at least take what he says about the Dixon's to heart at least." Dale gently warned. "they are not good people."

She smiled warmly at his concern. "I'm not worried about that. Dixon I KNOW I can handle." She assured him before she went back to her tent building.

It was near to midday when Shane gathered the whole camp together. Elly stood on the outskirts watching the group interact. They were a bunch of clueless people here. She sighed, only a handful of the men looked like they might be able to step up. Shane voted himself leader, but there were a few others that looked capable to Elly.

Shane was droning on about rules, jobs, and vigilance and Elly was trying to pay attention; so she missed the blue eyes watching her from across the clearing.

* * *

A quick explanation of some of the military terms/ situations:

CENTCOM - central command. I can't say that they wouldn't have courses running for certain specialties. I do know that there are Army personnel on the AFB. Might be possible.

MacDill AFB – Air Force Base is in Tampa, Florida

SSG- Staff Sergeant. An E-6, usually in charge of a squad of varying numbers, around 5-6 lower

enlisted.

A combat load – 210 rounds of 5.56 for the M4/M16, 7 magazines of 30 rounds each. And yes they all fit in uniform cargo pockets it's just a pain in the ass.

NCO – Noncommissioned Officer, holding a rank of E-5 or higher. Also known as a Non-Com.

A woobie – also known as a poncho liner. It is the soldiers best friend. It's a pillow, a blanket, a curtain, an extra bag, anything you could think of.

If there's anything else confusing, please let me know!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This took longer than I wanted, kept thinking of farther along in the story. Had to make myself go back to get the foundation started. As usual, I only own Elly. Please R&R.

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Their camp had a decent start. Everyone had jobs, although Elly was pissed at hers beyond belief. Tents were scavenged and set up. Canned food was gathered together and water jugs were designated. Even hunting for fresh meat were arranged. It seemed that was the Dixon's job. Elly glanced over at their tent as she walked through the camp. The younger Dixon, Daryl she thought his name was, certainly looked the part. The crossbow he was cleaning looked like it was a part of him. Much like she imagined her weapon looked in her hands. But Merle, he looked like he was going to just continue his trend of being a lazy ass stretched out on the bed of a truck.

Deftly avoiding the other survivors, Elly was internally fuming as she went looking for Shane. Earlier he had dictated that all the women would do the cooking and laundry; and the men would keep watch, chop wood, and hunt for food. The world went to hell, so we all went back to the dark ages? Elly was not a feminist per se, but she had a deep seated belief that everyone should be given the opportunity to master whatever skills and do any job that they desired, as long as they had the physical ability to do so. Man or woman it shouldn't matter.

She found Shane going for another water run, loading empty containers in the back of the jeep. "Hey Shane, can I talk to you for a second?" She asked brightly, trying to conceal her dark mood.

He stood up with the last two jugs in his hands and flashed a bright smile. "Elly! What can I do for you?"

She leaned back against the jeep and crossed her arms. "I wanted to talk to you about the division of labor you've got going on here. Just because we're in a survival situation does not mean that we need to return to the 1700's."

Shane snickered. "Well, I suppose things have been divided up along more traditional roles." He conceded gamely, a wide grin still splitting his features.

"That's a waste." Elly replied flatly, curbing his mirth. "I'll be blunt. You're wasting your assets putting me on laundry. I have skills you need." She was trying not to sound too pompous or self-assured but she certainly knew a hell of a lot more than the other guys in camp. It had been years since she had been underestimated so badly. One of the things that she liked so much about the Army was that it was demanded of each soldier to pull their weight no matter their gender.

Shane rubbed the back of his neck considering her words. "Can you shoot?"

Elly gave him a withering glance, now she was really getting pissed and it took all of her training not to show exactly how much. "I've been in the Army for 10 years. I'm going to pretend you didn't just ask me that. You should ask me what weapon _can't_ I shoot." Shane put his hands up in surrender but Elly didn't let him off the hook just yet. "I've had a lot of the same training you've had Shane, and then some. More than that I know defense, how to set up a perimeter, how to defend a position."

"Alright." Shane conceded crossing his arms and leaning forward. "You can work out a guard schedule with Dale. All the men will be pulling shifts."

Elly nodded. "Thank you. Have you given any thought to roving guards? It's hard to see everything from the top of the RV, especially at night."

"Well," Shane considered. "We haven't seen any walkers up this way yet. They might not even make it up here."

Elly narrowed her eyes. "Are you willing to take that chance? You think we're safe because we're up here out of the way. Complacency kills, we need to be on guard at all times."

"I don't think we have to go that far just yet."

Now Elly really wanted to beat some sense into his Neanderthal head. "Shane, we have no walls. We're hidden but we're vulnerable; we need light and sound discipline. At the very least we need to do one daily sweep of the area."

Shane sighed, getting a little annoyed at being told what he should do. "Fine, I'll leave it to you then. One patrol a day. Let the guard on duty know when you're going out and when you come back. Shoot only if you get into trouble and make sure you're back before nightfall." Elly finally smiled at getting Shane to see some sense.

"Thank you. I'm sure it will reassure everyone, knowing that we're taking some basic precautions." Shane only grunted as she walked away, still thinking that it was a waste of time but he guessed it wouldn't hurt.

As an afterthought he shouted after her. "Doesn't get you off guard duty here." Elly rolled her eyes but didn't stop walking, although she lifted her hand up in acknowledgement of his words.

Elly hauled out her gear and began to arrange it to suit her new purpose. Not even considering the idea of getting fully kitted up, she grabbed her assault pack or glorified backpack as she liked to call it and began to attach her MOLLE pouches for easy access. She only put on two magazine pouches. If she needed more ammo than that, no amount of rounds would help. On the left strap of the pack she clipped her carabiner for her M4 Carbine. On the right shoulder strap, she secured her dad's K-bar. He had given it to her before she left for her first duty station, but in her mind it would always be her dad's knife. It had saved him numerous times while he served and he gave it to her with the understanding that she would use it when she had to.

She changed quickly into her camo pants, t-shirt, and boots. Once again she left off her blouse but grabbed her patrol cap. Out of habit Elly pulled her hair out of the way, into a loose bun low on the back of her head. Before she pulled on her assault pack, she threaded her drop leg holster through her belt and secured it to her right thigh. Elly preferred a drop leg because it placed her Berreta M9 at a natural draw level for her hand and didn't impede her movements. Last but not least she clipped her M4 in place on her shoulder and steadied it with her left hand, not noticing the habitual gesture. She had learned that trick on her first tour, the length of 550 cord holding the M4 to the carabiner was just the right length to let her bring the rifle into her shoulder when she needed to fire but otherwise would hang down her body, mostly out of her way.

Before she left, as much as she didn't want to, she dropped by Dixon's tent. Elly thanked whatever entity might be up there that she only saw the younger one. She hoped he was a little more…pleasant than his older brother. He looked up from where he was skinning a couple of squirrels. "Wow, you work fast." Elly cringed internally, she hadn't meant to say that but it kinda just slipped out.

Daryl paused a moment before snorting. "What do ya want?" His voice harsh. It didn't really phase Elly; she wasn't expecting a warm welcome.

"Just wanted to know when you plan on going out to hunt. I'm going to be walking the perimeter every day, going a decent way out to make sure we don't get any uninvited guests." Elly explained. "Don't want to scare away your game…or get an arrow in an inconvenient place." She added as an afterthought. Elly swore that she could almost see a corner of his mouth turn up, before he put back the customary frown.

"I'm usually out in the mornings." He offered after a moment. "Wait until the afternoon and we'll stay out of each other's way. I'd rather not get a bullet in an inconvenient place." Elly couldn't help but grin back before Daryl looked down at his catch, continuing his work.

"Sounds fair." Daryl didn't look back up. Sensing that the conversation had come to an end, Elly turned to go talk to Dale, to let him know that she was heading out. "See ya." She called over her shoulder to the hunter as she walked away.

Daryl looked up when he heard Elly talking to the old man on the RV. He only now snuck a glance at her. He couldn't stop his eyes from traveling over her toned frame. He thought most women in uniform were lost in the big boxy tops. But standing there in just a t-shirt, with her belt emphasizing an hour glass figure, Daryl could see why Merle had gotten worked up over her in the past. But before he let his mind drift any further, he turned to his squirrels in earnest and harshly shut down any thoughts about a woman who probably hated his guts by association with his older brother. Not to mention his background.

Later that afternoon, Elly was picking her way through the forest and brush in a wide arc around the camp. At any other time, she would have enjoyed herself. Back home, her real home, she often took off into the woods for hours at a time just to clear her head and listen to the birds call to each other. Now she couldn't afford to let her mind wander. The heat reminded her of walking patrols on her last deployment. The only difference was the damn humidity. The humidity saps away energy so quickly at a lower temperature. A humid day at 100 degrees doesn't really make you sweat differently than a desert at 140 degrees does.

After she walked the high ridges and low valleys that encircled the camp, Elly felt more than ready to take a dip in the quarry lake. Some of the others had a similar idea and had set up camp on a length of beach along the east side of the lake. Something told Elly that this whole 'end of times the dead arise and eat people to make more dead people' thing hadn't quite hit them fully. Not that she would let that stop her from cooling down from her patrol.

"Hey Elly." A friendly hand waved from under a floppy hat. "You look ready for war." Elly smirked but held nothing against the young blonde, Amy. She had no idea.

"Better to be prepared right?" Elly bantered back. "Nothing to worry about so far though, the woods are quiet." She noticed a few relieved faces nearby. "Hey Amy, are you going to be here for a while?" The other girl nodded. "Could you watch my weapons please?"

Amy suddenly looked apprehensive. "I don't know if I should."

"Just sit there and don't let anyone mess with them. That's all." Elly reassured her. "I just want to cool off really quick. If anyone comes snooping just yell for me ok?" The girl reluctantly nodded her head.

"I can do that."

"Great!" Elly smiled as she began to disassemble her gear, gingerly placing the barrel of her rifle on her pack pointed away from everyone. For good measure she took out the magazine but left her pistol inside the holster. Amy did look a little shocked when Elly discarded her pants after kicking off her boots. She grinned when Amy looked up to see her bicycle shorts. "An old infantry trick, it eliminates the chafing."

Elly wasted no time wading into the sweet relief of the lake. It was glorious after the bug infested Georgia forest. Elly just floated for a while. She was a creature of water and she was damn grateful that this lake was so close by. It definitely helped soothed the thoughts racing through her brain. The foremost of which was 'Did I make the right decision?'

Well before she wanted to, Elly swam back to reality. She thanked Amy for watching her things and sat down to dry out before putting her pants back on. Once the sun mostly dried her clothes Elly slowly assembled herself. By that time the sun had started dipping below the ridge of the quarry, taking the sting out of the day. Most people had gone off to see to dinner. Even Amy and her sister Andrea had made the hike back to camp. Realizing that she had dawdled long enough, Elly made her own way up the steep hill.

"Hey Baby." Merle drawled as she walked by. "Wanna catch up on the old days? Maybe take a ride?" He asked thrusting his hips suggestively.

Elly didn't stop walking. "Slap yourself Merle, you must be dreaming." She kept on going but didn't miss the amusement in Daryl's eyes as he picked at his dinner nearby. She went to grab her own before climbing up the RV ladder to relieve Dale for watch.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Next installment is up! Thank you to theseventhstar for my first review! I love feedback so please review. Please please please! I hope that I'm not writing Daryl too OOC. I own nothing but Elly.

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The next few days were quiet fortunately. Elly spent her time on patrol or on guard duty. She still didn't think Shane was taking her seriously but she didn't really care. Her guilt over abandoning her trip back to her unit was weighing heavily on her so she focused on protecting the people she was with. It was the least she could do. Glenn had started some quick trips into the city and he brought back news of a dead metropolis. No sign of legitimate life anywhere. Police and National Guard trucks were left wide open. No one was left. Elly might have met the same fate if she had pushed on. It helped. A little.

To be honest Elly's favorite time of day was when she did her daily patrols. She swept a large lazy circle around the quarry trying to forget about the stifling Georgia heat. For the most part it was quiet, only the sounds of small animals scurrying here and there, a few birds chirping to each other and the rustle of wind in the trees broke the silence. Today she was not so lucky, the forest seemed unnaturally quiet. Elly was about halfway through her rounds when she heard a scraping sound somewhere up ahead of her. She immediately paused, crouching down and focusing straight ahead. Before long, her quarry presented itself. It was a walker still clinging to a baseball bat, dragging it across the forest floor. In life it was a man of average height in jeans and a t-shirt. Now it was just a smelly mess missing a huge chunk of flesh from its arm.

Elly waited, checking to see if it brought any friends. Satisfied that this was the only one, she left her guns alone and pulled out her knife. There was no sense in calling attention to one walker and making everybody worry. By now the shambling, groaning thing had caught sight of her and had changed course to intercept. Elly stayed low, waiting until the walker was almost on her before she sprung to her feet, using her momentum to drive the knife point under its chin and out through the top of the skull. Black, thick blood oozed from the wound and down her arm. More than slightly disgusted, she wrenched her knife out and wiped what she could off on the walker's shirt. "Blech!" She shivered a little, feeling gross and in need of another swim.

The rest of the patrol was uneventful though she was cursing the smell clinging to her now. When she made it back Elly glanced longingly at the quarry lake. Right now the clear blue water looked better than ever, but before she could indulge she had to give her report. Dale was once again on top of the RV in his usual spot but Shane was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey Dale, you seen Shane?" Dale looked down and his eyes went wide.

"Elly are you ok?"

Elly shrugged. "Yeah, why?" Dale just gestured and that's when she looked down. More blood had splattered her shirt than she realized. "Great." She said making a face. "I'm fine Dale, just killed a walker about two miles south of here down the mountain. Could you tell Shane when you see him? I'd wait but I'd rather get cleaned up as soon as possible."

"Sure thing El." Dale assured her while putting his binoculars back up to his eyes in a very southerly direction. "Quarry should be quiet."

"Thanks Dale." He looked at her briefly and nodded before scanning the area again.

Elly stopped by her tent to drop most of her gear before grabbing a new shirt and some soap. The walkers didn't scare her; they were easier to deal with than insurgents but damn they were gross. Down at the lake she was pleasantly surprised to find the area deserted. She quickly stripped off her soiled shirt and pants, jumping in the water in just her sports bra and shorts. Elly wasted no time in ridding herself of the walker stink.

The water was nice and cool. Elly sighed in pleasure and just let herself drift. She didn't often have an opportunity to just kick back, lately if she wasn't patrolling she was standing guard. It was a little draining to always have to be on alert. Elly knew that Dale was going to keep an eye out for her, if he saw her in any danger he'd fire a warning shot. So right now she could unwind a bit, if only she had a nice cool beer to help.

Elly floated in the lake for about 20 minutes before she brought herself back to reality. Turning toward shore she was surprised to see that she was no longer alone. Blue eyes glanced up from a bucket of what looked like laundry, strong arms scrubbed at dark fabric on a washboard. A pile of wrung out clothes laid on the ground next to him.

"How long have you been there?" She called to him. Those blue eyes snapped up to hers for a moment before he shrugged and returned to his work.

"A few minutes maybe." He muttered. "Sorry."

Elly lazily swam a little closer so she could hear him better. "No worries, just surprised I didn't hear you walk up."

Daryl threw an amused glance her way. "I wouldn't be very good at hunting if I couldn't move quiet."

She smiled a little surprised that Daryl was actually holding a conversation with her. "I'll give you that one. Why don't you have the women wash those for you with the rest?"

"Here ya go then." To Elly's surprise, he tossed her the piece of clothing he was washing at her. Daryl grinned at her and it took her a second to realize it was a pair of his boxers. At least she hoped it was his, not his brother's.

She had to laugh though as she tossed them back. "Not me, you ass. I'm not a woman, I'm a soldier."

Daryl chuckled. "Didn't know ya couldn't be both."

Elly rolled her eyes. "Of course I CAN be both but with the Neanderthals around here I have to keep reminding everyone that I'm more than just a pair of tits."

"Hey! I do my own laundry." Daryl protested, looking a little surprised at her word choice but that didn't stop his gaze from traveling over her aforementioned body parts. What he could see half hidden in the water that was.

"I know you do. Now." Elly replied smiling. "But most of these guys haven't let go of 'Man must protect little woman; little woman must take care of man' mentality. I hate having to prove myself again and it is really pissing me off."

Daryl smirked. "I think that walker you killed might help your case a little." Elly just shrugged.

"Maybe. Not that I went looking for a walker just to prove something." She replied. "Are they at least taking it seriously, maybe putting more people on patrol?"

Daryl shook his head. "Nah, Shane just told people not to walk out that far."

Elly growled and buried her wet head in her hands. "That idiot!" She groused. "What do you think?"

Daryl looked a little surprised that she was asking his opinion. They hadn't really talked before and frankly he was floored that they were talking now but she just seemed to pull the words out of his mouth. It seemed so natural to talk to her. "I think that this area is too big to watch everywhere. Walkers are going to make it up here no matter how hard we try. But they ain't gonna listen until they can see the walkers for themselves."

Elly was relieved that someone else agreed with her and smiled at Daryl. "I'm not looking forward to that day. I'm hoping they'll come to their senses before that happens."

Daryl just snorted. "I'm not gonna hold my breath." He was finishing up the last of his clothes and was oblivious of her taking a moment to appreciate the flexing of his muscled arms. Elly had to admit, the younger Dixon was nice to look at. The combination of darker hair and clear blue eyes was always a favored combination for her. Of course, his broad shoulders and toned abs were quite nice too. His normal scowl was gone for the moment. He didn't look happy per se but he didn't look actively pissed off. It was a nice change.

It was a little strange, Elly would have thought Daryl was going to be more like his brother but right now she saw little resemblance. He was gruff and sometimes mean with other members of the group but he hadn't shown that side to her directly. To be honest Elly was a little intrigued. She sure as hell didn't expect the banter earlier. There was a lighter side to Daryl that she suspected he didn't let come out and play too much.

Snapping out of her reverie, Elly decided she had dawdled enough. She lazily made her way to the shore, plopping down near her clothes not far away from Daryl. Elly pillowed her head in her arms and stretched out, taking advantage of the last of the afternoon sun to dry out a little. She closed her eyes and just enjoyed the quiet, this time without having to keep water out of her nose.

Daryl eyed her relaxed position. It was rare for any of these people to let down their guard around him. This girl was a bit of a mystery. She was more than familiar with how much of a bastard a Dixon could be, but there she was drawing him into a conversation. She was friendly but not pushy. Why wasn't she assuming that Daryl was as much of a bastard as Merle? Everyone else did.

He let his eyes drift over her prone form. Elly was on the short side but she wasn't thin. She was more muscled than most women he had known. Her exposed stomach was toned and her legs were athletic. Instead of coming off manly, her muscles combined with curves in the right places to make her look feminine but strong. Daryl's eyes lingered on those curves, he couldn't help himself. But all too soon, his laundry and his reason to linger by the lake was done.

Wet clothes in one hand, the ever present crossbow in the other, Daryl started the steep climb back to camp. "See ya, Daryl." Elly called to him.

Daryl glanced over his shoulder at the girl still sunning herself on the shore. "Bye."

* * *

Sorry this was so short. I try to have more in each chapter but it just seemed like the place to end it. Don't worry things are going to be picking up soon!


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